Blog:Blur bassist aims for The Universal consumer

Former Blur bassist and now purveyor of posh cheeses Alex James is to launch a range of mainstream cheeses through Asda.

James, now well-known for his foray into cheese after a career as one-quarter of one of Britpop's biggest names, is an award-winning cheese maker but the new line set to go on sale next week is more for The Universal consumer.

The Alex James Presents range includes bread-shaped slices of cheese - or Mild Cheddar Mozzarella Blankets, as he calls them - to slap on some toast.

He has also developed Cheddar Spudsworth, cubed cheese that can be put in the microwave and poured on a potato.

James is also launching a line of Cheddar Wedges that come in flavours from tomato ketchup to tikka masala.

For a man who lives on an organic farm, won an award for his goat's cheese in 2008 and has sold his cheeses through speciality retailers, this mainstream range is an about-turn. But, in this video blog on the Asda website, he revealed some of the inspiration for the products.

"After I'd been making cheese for a while, I'd actually won an award for my goats cheese, which I was incredibly proud of. I had some of my prize-winning precious goats cheese in the fridge but the kids kept asking me to make Spudworth," he says. "They sort of preferred that to the posh stuff. It made me realise there's so many different ways of enjoying cheese so I thought it would be good to invent some cheese that was more of an everyday thing I could enjoy with the kids. That's way this range was born really. It's all about delicious, everyday indulgence for all the family."

Of course, the foodies out there will throw their hands up in horror but James' products will appeal to younger consumers, who, may, one day, replicate his love for cheese - just like some of us of a certain age loved his band's tunes.